Property Tax Relief Bill Starting to Move in Indiana House

Senate Bill 1, the property tax relief bill that was Governor Braun’s top legislative priority this session, is finally seeing some movement in the Indiana House. The bill passed out of committee Monday morning.

Republican Representative Kendell Culp, a farmer representing District 16 in northern Indiana, tells Hoosier Ag Today the bill is over 250 pages, so legislators are still digging into it, and there will likely be many amendments come Wednesday.

What kind of relief could it offer? At this point, it’s tough to say for farmers.

“The anticipation is Senate Bill 1 when fully implemented, which would be over the next few years, would save homeowners quite a little bit. They’re saying just in next year’s tax bill, they would expect 54% of property taxpayers would see a decrease in their bill.”

Culp says the talking points for Senate Bill 1 point to tax relief for homeowners, and Governor Braun’s office was active over the weekend in contacting legislators.

“I received a call,” Culp says. “The message was we need more relief for homeowners, and I very politely said I wasn’t interested in providing that if it was at the expense of farmland owners. If you’re talking about relief, it has to be relief spread across the board to all taxpayers. When you start giving one priority over the other, then that creates a shift, and then someone is going to be left holding the bag, and I’m going to work hard to make sure that’s not farmers.”

We’ll continue to follow this bill and provide updates on what it will mean for farmers. In the meantime, reach out to your representatives to make sure farmers, as Culp says, aren’t the ones holding the bag.

Hear the full HAT interview with Culp below.